Method for back end planning and scheduling

Abstract

Embodiments presented herein provide techniques for planning and scheduling in a factory. The technique begins by generating a bottleneck loading plan from a plurality of inputs. A simulation is run using the bottleneck loading plan. The factory is simulated using decisions made based on the bottleneck loading plan and a lot-to-machine schedule is generated with the simulation bottleneck loading plan.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62 / 514,543, filed Jun. 2, 2017 (Attorney Docket No. APPM / 24873USL), of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUNDField[0002]Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to planning, and more particularly to techniques for managing production processes within a manufacturing environment.Description of the Related Art[0003]Manufacturing facilities across many different industries are responsible for producing products that are used in every facet of life. In the case of semiconductor manufacturing, for example, semiconductor manufacturing facilities manufacture products such as, microprocessors, memory chips, microcontrollers, and other semiconductor devices that have a ubiquitous presence in everyday life. These semiconductor devices are used in a wide variety of applications, examples of which include automobiles, computers, home applianc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent presents a method for planning and scheduling in a factory. It starts by creating a plan for the best way to load materials based on multiple inputs. Then, a simulation is run to see how well the factory would perform with the planned load. Based on these results, a decision is made to create a schedule for the machines used in the factory. This invention helps improve efficiency and productivity in factories by optimizing the way materials are loaded.

Problems solved by technology

Each manufacturing environment is unique and extremely complex, often requiring immense amounts of capital for the necessary equipment, tools, facilities, etc.

However this is changing rapidly.

The back-end processes are becoming more complex, e.g., reentrant flows are now common, so that the simple processes that worked in the past are not capable of effectively running the factory.

So current processes are both not capable of efficiently running the factory, nor are they capable of meeting the new, stringent supply chain requirements.

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